A gas turbine engine generally includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air enters an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel mixes with the compressed air and burns within the combustion section, thereby creating combustion gases. The combustion gases flow from the combustion section through a hot gas path defined within the turbine section and then exit the turbine section via the exhaust section.
In particular configurations, the turbine section includes, in serial flow order, a high pressure turbine and a low pressure turbine. The high pressure and the low pressure turbines each include one or more rows of turbine blades, which extract kinetic energy and/or thermal energy from the combustion gases flowing therethrough. A turbine shroud typically forms a ring or enclosure around each row of turbine blades. That is, each turbine shroud is positioned radially outwardly from and circumferentially encloses each corresponding row of turbine blades.
Typically, each turbine shroud is formed from a plurality of shroud segments, which are assembled to form the ring that circumferentially encloses the corresponding row of turbine rotor blades. In this respect, gaps may exist between each of the shroud segments. These gaps may permit a portion of the combustion gases to escape therebetween, which may reduce the efficiency of the gas turbine engine. Accordingly, a seal that reduces the amount of combustion gases escaping through gaps between adjacent shroud segments would be welcomed in the technology.